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Dr. Lesley Leach chosen as associate dean of research for Tarleton

Dr. Lesley Leach, an associate professor at Tarleton State University, has been chosen as Tarleton’s associate dean of research and sponsored projects.

According to tarleton.edu, Leach has been an associate professor of educational research at Tarleton since 2012 and has led the university’s Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies for the last two years. Leach was the coordinator of Tarleton’s doctorate in educational leadership program until 2015 and during that time, she has chaired more than 20 student dissertation committees and served as research methodologist for many others.

Dr. Lesley LeachPhoto by tarleton.edu

Prior to her position at Tarleton, Leach started out as a fifth grade elementary school teacher at Grapevine-Colleyville ISD. Following that, she obtained her master’s degree in computer application of cognitive systems and her Ph.D in educational research. Then, she accepted a job at the University of Texas at Austin working at the Charles A. Dana Center, where she conducted research and evaluations.

“One of my proudest accomplishments [within my career] would be receiving tenure and promotion from Tarleton. That’s a big undertaking and it’s a big event in any faculty member’s career and that certainly is true for me as well,” Leach said.

Within her new position, Leach will be facilitating funding and research opportunities for both faculty and students.

“I will be helping to communicate the good work that’s going on around the campus in terms of research awards and results of our research that we do here at Tarleton. One of the upcoming responsibilities that I will have after assuming the role, is helping to host the Texas A&M University System Pathways Research Symposium. [The symposium] is scheduled to happen in early November. It’ll bring all of the system universities to Tarleton for the research symposium where students across disciplines and levels will bring their research to present and display to the system community, so that’s exciting. That will be one of the first responsibilities that I help with,” Leach said.

Leach explained how her new position is different than what she has done in the past.

“It’s certainly a new role for me. To date, my work has really been departmentally focused, in the department of educational leadership and policy studies. This new role, the associate dean position, will be more university focused so I’ll have to think on a grander scale and consider other disciplines’ needs, in addition to educational leadership,” she said.

“I’m very excited at the prospect as serving as associate dean of research. I look forward to continuing the good work that folks have done in the position before me. I know that I have a lot to learn, but I’m really excited at the prospect of learning and helping to continue promoting research opportunities, and serving our research community as it has been done in the past,” Leach said.

Leach will begin her new position as associate dean of research and sponsored projects on Sep. 1.